'It Was Pretty Eye Opening' - Demon Hunter's Ryan Clark Underestimated New Album's Emotional Impact

Demon Hunter's latest album, There Was a Light Here, came from a very personal place for singer Ryan Clark, but he admits he might have underestimated the impact it would have on the band's fanbase.

The singer, who wrote most of the album while dealing with the death of his mother, told Full Metal Jackie for her weekend radio show that he's been able to fully feel the impact the album had on their audience since they started touring.

"I didn't really realize to what degree it would have that effect on people and it was pretty eye-opening, especially going out on tour and playing these songs for the first time," said the singer. "Just how many people were not only dealing with this in the recent past, but, I mean, people would come to shows that had lost someone that day. We had a couple of people come up and talk to us after the show that had lost a parent or spouse within the week. So it was a very emotionally driven tour as well as just kind of seeing how these sort of concepts resonated with people."

The singer shares that he had heard some really jarring stories on the loss of loved ones and he's glad that just like in creating the record, it's providing a sense of closure.

"For me it was a very cathartic thing to put as much of my thoughts into the songs as I was kind of going through that stuff. It's not like me to be very vocal in real life about that sort of thing. I'd rather kind of save it for the songs," said Clark. "But the songs really allowed me to kind of get out a lot of things that I needed to get out. Without having that outlet, I would probably have a lot of pent-up emotion about it."

Within the chat, Clark also spoke with Jackie about preparing himself to deal with still raw and emotional material within the live setting, trying to tap into writing from a more hopeful perspective and what it's meant to have a consistent lineup when creating their music.

Clark also speaks about the lengths that Demon Hunter's fans have gone to express their love for the band, what touring is like for the group these days and how the band fights complacency at two decades into their career.

Check out more of the chat below.

It's Full Metal Jackie, bringing you two full hours of metal each and every week. This week we welcome back Demon Hunter's frontman, Mr. Ryan Clark. The band is back out there supporting their excellent and emotionally powerful thirteenth studio album, There Was A Light Here. And Ryan, you've been able to connect with fans through your lyrics throughout the years. But a lot of this album had you putting your own personal journey, going through the death of your mother, on full display. Now sharing this music with fans, what has been your takeaway of how it's been received and is it a difficult thing to visit when having to play some of these songs on tour?

I knew that diving into this area the ideas of grief and death and loss were going to likely resonate with a lot of people. We have fans that have been with us for 20 some odd years and so a lot of us are getting to that age where losing a parent or losing friends even, is becoming more commonplace. I knew that it would be something that hopefully people could get something from and could get maybe some closure and healing from it.

I didn't really realize to what degree it would have that effect on people and it was pretty eye-opening, especially going out on tour and playing these songs for the first time, just how many people were not only dealing with this in the recent past, but, I mean, people would come to shows that had lost someone that day.

We had a couple of people come up and talk to us after the show that had lost a parent or spouse within the week. So it was a very emotionally driven tour as well as just kind of seeing how these sort of concepts resonated with people.

It seemed like a story or two every night that was really jarring. Loss of children and things like that. But you know, I always said every night from the stage, my hope is that whatever you can get from the record, whatever sort of closure or little bit of therapy you can get from it, that's ultimately the goal of that.

For me it was a very cathartic thing to put as much of my thoughts into the songs as I was kind of going through that stuff. It's not like me to be very vocal in real life about that sort of thing. I'd rather kind of save it for the songs.

But the songs really allowed me to kind of get out a lot of things that I needed to get out. Without having that outlet, I would probably have a lot of pent-up emotion about it.

Demon Hunter, "Sorrow Light the Way"

Ryan, I wanted to know what it's like to actually perform these songs onstage.

Performing the songs is... Yeah .... I sort of have to take at least the one that kind of illuminates it the most is the title track and it's the last song that we played in the set on our last run. I sort of have to take myself out of it a little bit, because if I think too hard about what I'm singing, especially in that song, I just know I'll choke and it'll be a disaster.

So as odd as it sounds, when I'm singing that song I sort of have to distance myself from it just a little bit, just kind of muscle memory through the words and feel it without feeling it too hard, if that makes sense. That's kind of the only way I can get through that one.

That song in particular sort of covers it all in terms of the deepest feelings on the subject.

Demon Hunter, "There Was a Light Here"

Ryan, this album is colored with some darker moments of defeat and personal agony. But through it all, there always seems to be hope for better times. Especially in heavy music, there's a penchant for aggression and something angrier. Is hope and light something that's more difficult to tap into while writing?

I wouldn't say it's difficult for me. I tend to always, every time I approach a song, I definitely have a knack for darker themes, obviously. A lot about death and defeat and things like that, and the human condition overall. Sort of focusing on probably the more negative aspects.

But for me, it's sort of innate to find the silver lining or not just put those things on display and let them sit, but offer some sort of solution or thing that a light at the end of the tunnel. And so that's always been kind of my way of writing.

Even if I'm bouncing from really grief-stricken verses or something, I'll try to make the chorus more hopeful or things like that. I'm always sort of playing with the duality of those feelings. But definitely bringing light into it has been something that has been characteristic of the band since the very beginning, so I think it just sort of comes naturally.

Ryan, you've been here the longest through everyone in the band, But the newest member has now been around-since at least 2011. What has it meant for you to have this consistent lineup of musical partners to take this journey with you throughout the years and how is their input key in the vision of this record?

Early on, we had a pretty frequent rotating cast. My brother obviously started the band with me. When he ducked out in about 2008, the biggest change there was filling his shoes and that was with Patrick Judge, who's still in the band now.

That was a huge step up musically. My brother wouldn't disagree in me saying that both he and I have sort of a ceiling when it comes to musicianship on a guitar front. And so we were writing all of those early songs and they have a very kind of caveman-esque style to them.

And when Patrick was introduced into the band, it sort of opened the doors to a lot more technicality and just kind of another step in playing and musical ability. So that was a huge step. And then the most recent, like you said, was about 2011, 2012, with Jeremiah [Scott].

So our, quote unquote, "newest member" has now been with us for about 12 or 13 years. It's great to have that sort of consistency and just have guys that I can rely on. When we get together, the songs come back lickety split and it's so we can not play for eight months, nine months, a year and then get in a room together and chances are we can nail most of the songs first try, which is a great. It's just a great feeling.

There's definitely something to the gelling musically, but then also just personality wise. We're all sort of like in the same stages of life and being on the same page. We have that with these guys and that to me is probably the most valuable aspect of it.

I know that a lot of bands have guys that are might have different world views and different things. Obviously there are nuances within the five of us, but for the most part we're very much on the same page. Very much share the same values and same ethics and views and so it's a very tight bond and it's great to have guys that are just consistent.

Ryan, not only is your presence felt as the voice for this band, but you co-produced the album and have had a big hand in the videos for this album as well. That's a lot of hats to wear. When in the creative process are you already thinking visually how this will translate, or considering what you might have to do additionally in the studio? Is it one thing at a time, or does it all bleed into one experience during the creation period?

The branding, for lack of a better term, for each record is kind of paramount importance for us. It always has been. I think where Demon Hunter tends to shine above a lot of bands is in those sort of details. I like to say there's no stone left unturned in terms of the artistry with the band.

As a graphic designer, I've been doing music-related graphic design for 25 years as well, so when I'm not touring in a band, I'm doing artwork for Alice in Chains and all sorts of bands. I've done hundreds and hundreds of albums. So that obviously is a very important aspect.

So everything down to the visual art, the photo shoots, the video shoots, all that kind of stuff is at the forefront of my mind when thinking about a new album and usually that's pretty way out in the front. It usually precedes even the songwriting for each record. I usually have at least a song title, some sort of theme. Even if it's not gonna be a concept record or anything like that, I have sort of an overarching theme that will carry out through the photos, through the art, probably through the videos. I find it very freeing, in a way, to have something to go back to, something to point to.

And so having sort of an overarching idea or theme allows me to say, "Well, is this art going to fit within that theme? If not, you know, maybe save it for something else," and only sort of feed into this idea that is something that fuels the album title and sort of the overarching ideas.

With the music videos, that is a fairly new venture for me. I've always dabbled with writing treatments and things like that, but I started thinking, "Well, if I did more of this myself, we could be a little scrappier, and we could do more, and also do it more affordably." And so I tried my hand at actual directing and editing this time around, which allowed us just kind of the freedom to do a lot more.

And so we ended up doing four videos prior to the, the album release, which is definitely the first time we've ever done that. But it's a fun thing for me to do. Diving into that was a learning curve for sure, but again, as a graphic designer, I know the Adobe stuff really well, so when it comes to editing, I sort of have a leg up, because I've been working in those programs for 20 odd years.

Every band hopes to have a devoted fan base and Demon Hunter definitely has that. And I'm sure you've seen that displayed in many ways. What have been some of your favorite fan nods in showing their love for Demon Hunter?

We have a wild bunch of fans. We like to tell, especially bands that are touring with us or supporting, that we have very, very unique fans, in that not only are they very loyal, but they're also very, very cool to the bands we bring out.

I think those other bands always see that and recognize that, and see it as something that's unique and different. Yeah, we've had hundreds, if not thousands, of fan tattoos that are really, really cool. Since the very beginning, our fans have been very adamant in sending in their tattoo art.

And so we've seen a lot of amazing stuff, giant back pieces. There's a couple of fans out there that have entire sleeves that are Demon Hunter-related. There have been a couple of fans who have put lyrics on their gravestones, which ...

Oh, my goodness.

Yeah, it's wild.

Wow.

It's bittersweet, obviously. There have been fans who have named their children Hunter after the band, which is insane.

Better than Demon, I mean.

Better than Demon, yeah. Leave that for Glen Benton, I guess. But yeah, people have been married to songs, married and buried to songs. I think the the first time we saw someone who had the lyrics to "Carry Me Down" on a grave marker, that was definitely the wildest and most real and surreal thing that we had seen up to that point.

That must be really incredible to witness that and see what your art means to people through life and death.

Yeah. And babies. It's like all the big markers of life. We've been lucky enough to be part of those big moments in people's lives, which is amazing.

Ryan, you're hitting the road for more touring this year with Convictions and Cultus joining in. They also were part of your 2025 touring. Obviously, it's been a good pairing if they're back for more. Can you speak about the support acts you're taking out, what the relationship has grown into and ultimately what you hope the audience gets out of having these bands on the bill?

We started this album cycle with Convictions and Cultus. And up to that point, we had not really known the guys, so we just kind of heard them and felt like they would make a good bill. So that first run was great, getting to know those guys. Really sweet guys, got along really well.

I think the fans, the crowds really liked them. We got a lot of messages saying like, "This is a great bill." People were really stoked on it, even from the very get-go. And so in booking this next run, this is sort of a part two of that same sort of There Was a Light Here run. It just made sense to bring them out to the East Coast and sort of that Eastern Midwest, where some ground we haven't covered with those bands yet.

I think it's a great mix. Obviously, Cultus is very heavy, very mosh and so that's a good kind of icebreaker for the night. And then Convictions obviously kind of greases the wheels a little bit more in the melodic territory. I think it's a nice blend of kind of the heavy aspects of Demon Hunter and the more melodic kind of highlighting those in other bands.

It's Full Metal Jackie, Ryan Clark from Demon Hunter, uh, with us on the show this week. At this stage, Demon Hunter have a few miles on this tread. How has touring changed for you since the early days? And aside from playing for your fans, are there things you enjoy about your time out on tour?

We've always been a band, since the very beginning, that tours a little less frequently than the average band. We've done a record probably every year and a half, two years, which is pretty good for the last, you know, 25 years.

But in terms of touring, it was a few weeks here, a few weeks there. Obviously, with other careers happening and things like that simultaneously, I get to have my cake and eat it too. But touring has always been, one of those things that doesn't feel grueling because we never did it very much.

So when we tour, it's kind of a great little family reunion. We get to hang out. The five of us are living in four different states, so we don't see each other that often. And so every time we get together, it's a good time just to kind of get reacquainted and, and hang out and talk and catch up on all that stuff.

So touring recently, there's definitely been some changes. We're in a phase now where we're putting more effort into the touring side of the band than ever before and definitely making sure that we're putting as much effort and attention into the staging and the lighting and the professionalism of the sound, the professionalism of the crew.

Sort of some of the creature comforts that we have when we go out, just on a personal level, just making things feel very, very calm, very comfortable. And then introducing things, like in recent years, like most bands with the VIP meet and greets and stuff like that.

That's been another really great avenue to be able to have that moment and sit and talk with fans, meet fans, see fan art, just all those little sorts of details. It's a great time to set aside and do that. There's been some really awesome changes in recent years.

Ryan, at 13 albums in, there's always the danger of complacency. How do you make sure that it continually stays fresh, and do you feel you personally challenge yourself with each album?

Yeah, I think so. We try to do two things simultaneously with every record, which is we try to give people, give fans what it is they love about Demon Hunter. So, with that, you know not to change the formula so much that we start alienating people and start making people feel like we're a completely different band. Because, at the end of the day, we know that people like Demon Hunter for Demon Hunter.

And then, simultaneously, we try to take that sort of playground or that blueprint that we've built and widen those boundaries a little bit, whatever that means. Sometimes it means more melodic territory, sometimes it means more mid-tempo rock songs, sometimes it means songs that are slightly more avant-garde or are just different.

In the newest record, I would say a song like "I'm Done," which kind of has a dance beat to it, is one version of us sort of pushing those boundaries a little bit and just seeing what can we take, what can we do with the Demon Hunter formula while tweaking it and making it unique still and fresh and giving people something that they haven't heard from us, but also with enough of that familiar sound that they can get behind it.

So, that's always the goal. In terms of keeping things fresh, I'm always listening to new music. I'm always a student of what's happening out there. I haven't lost a passion for metal or for music in general. I think a lot of people, when a band does an album, if it seems like they're sort of out of touch, I think they probably just are out of touch.

READ MORE: 10 Christian Rock or Metal Bands That Absolutely Rage

They probably have sort of lost some of that fervor for knowing what's out there, knowing what sort of new things that are happening. So, I like to take all that. But at the end of the day, we have been a band that doesn't really chase trends throughout the years.

Yes, we have a very wide array of styles that we play with, but we've always sort of done our thing and we try not to jump onto too many current trends, too many current sounds. We'll dabble, definitely dabble a little bit, but keeping things sort of classic, in a sense, has sort of helped us weather that storm of feeling like we're grasping at straws for relevance.

Ryan, there have already been some great songs off this latest album. Touring the record is still very much in play. At the end of this or any album cycle, what has to happen for you to ultimately be pleased with the final result?

I don't know if that's possible. In hindsight, sometimes I look back on certain records and when I'm able to take a step back, I can look at them more objectively, It's obviously very exciting to release a new record, but by the time it's out and people are listening to it, we've listened to it to death.

And so, there's definitely a distance that's created in just the creation of an album. You hear the song throughout the process a million times and then it sort of becomes everyone else's. It's up to them to take these songs and sort of implement them as they will in their lives or whatever.

I'm very not satisfied most of the time, and I think that's part of what drives the passion for creating good music continuously, is always wanting to one-up myself, one-up ourselves. Not being complacent or just satisfied with whatever our newest thing is, I think is the really driving force in continuing to create what we feel is good music.

I don't know if I'm... I would say I'm satisfied on a certain level. I feel like if we put out what I feel like is a good album and it's well received and people really get something out of it, and we hear some really passionate stories about how it's impacted people's lives, and then we're able to go and see people, talk with them, perform the songs on some level, that is definitely fulfilling.

But, on a deeper level, I'm never super satisfied and that's, to me, just part of the process.

Ryan Clark of Demon Hunter with us. Tell us, what does the remainder of 2026 look like for you at present?

On the near horizon is this next leg of the tour. Beyond that, we're hoping to do a little more touring, whether that's some more international territories. There's a few places we haven't hit in a number of years that we would love to go back to, Europe, Australia.

So we are looking at those places as options for later in the year. And then, it's inevitable that we're gonna start writing again. We like to keep the wheels turning in that regard pretty frequently. By the time an album is out for us, there's a good chance we've already got a handful of songs written for the next. So I'm always just accumulating ideas. I'm always writing little parts and finding time to start demoing. So, that's probably on the docket as well. Whether or not we get a chance to actually hit the studio in earnest this year, I don't know, but it'll be a lot, of Demon Hunter activity this year, for sure.

Thanks to Ryan Clark of Demon Hunter for the interview. The band's album, There Was a Light Here, is available now. Stay up to date with the band through their website, Facebook, X, Instagram and TikTok. Find out where you can hear Full Metal Jackie's weekend radio show here.

See some of the other more prolific rock and metal bands of the 21st Century in the gallery below.